NICOLA MORGAN

Out now

Paperback  -  £6.99

The dramatic and often terrifying sequel to
The Highwayman’s Footsteps

"Read it if you dare. Put it down if you can..."

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Reviews, interviews and/or Books of the Year picks in The Times, Herald, Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday, Express, First News, Sunday Herald, and many others. Will collect together some extracts later but currently a tad busy ...

Lovely interview by Amanda Craig in The Times here:

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/children/article3051277.ece

Meanwhile, others, in no particular order:

From the Writeaway website:

"The sequel to The Highwayman’s Footsteps is highly engaging. Morgan again takes us on the journey of Will and Bess, unlikely friends who have come together in order to survive. This time their escape takes them into Scotland where they encounter more danger at the hands of smugglers. Morgan knows how to set the heart racing as she intricately describes the dark and dismal caves through which the two must venture, whilst the raging sea threatens to sweep them away into the unknown. Adventure and excitement is at the heart of the story, but what is most poignant is the discussion of hatred and revenge. Old Maggie has been through unbearable pain as a result of her parent’s faith, yet decades later she still feels a severe hatred towards those that condemned her family for their religion. This hatred causes her family to fight violently with others, partaking in deathly events which will not cease whilst this loathing survives.

Morgan has again taken a historical event as the background to her novel: The Wigtown Martyrs of 1685. Her poignant recollection of these despicable atrocities through Old Maggie are vivid and strong, yet she urges us to stop continuing the hatred of our ancestors, and therefore cease the violence that happens in the name of religion – a theme so apparent in our own modern day society. Whilst building her story on a moralistic ground Morgan does not preach; instead her message is embedded in an energetic, lively and powerful tale which is even better than its appealing predecessor. As a set text this would appeal to both sexes, and its themes and description provide excellent material for pupils to analyse and of course, enjoy!"

From the Bookbag website and reviewer Jill Murphy:

"At the end of the first book about these junior highwaymen, we left Will and Bess escaping the Redcoats and heading for Scotland. Far from finding a safe haven, within days they are blamed for a murder they did not commit and taken prisoner by smugglers.

"Their captors are Covenanters, those Protestants who separated church from crown and rejected the hierarchy of bishops. Seventy years before Will and Bess find themselves among the Covenanters, British dragoons tried to force a woman and her daughter to make an oath to the king. When they refused, they were tied to stakes on the beach and drowned in the rising tide. Old Maggie, the grandmother in the smuggling family, watched her mother die in a similarly barbaric execution and this death has informed the clan’s world view ever since. Will and Bess are held captive not just because they may inform on the family’s smuggling, but also because of the years of hatred and distrust bred by religious persecution.

"Eventually, Will and Bess do earn trust. The tension in this book is not so much the tension of event, but the tension of belief. Bess, the political firebrand, finds much to commend in the hard life she has encountered. In denying the King his taxes, there is a Robin Hood aspect to the smuggling life that appeals greatly to her. She sees the ongoing hatred as honourable, a testament to strength of purpose. Will, the more temperate of the two, sees the ills in the social structure he is beginning to understand all too well; the injustice, the grinding poverty, the vicious circle of crime. But he can’t accept the violence or the refusal to tolerate.

"The Highwayman’s Curse is a darker, more claustrophobic book than its predecessor. There is less high romance and more introspection. The political points are slightly more complicated and the parallels with today slightly more sophisticated. I don’t think this is a bad thing; children develop as they read and one of the most valuable insights children can take from reading historical fiction is plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose. Children find this sort of enlightenment highly inspirational; they suddenly realise that they themselves could be the ones to break the cycle.

"It’s as vivid and vital as the first book though - as evocative of time and place as ever you could wish. Morgan apologises for the lack of Scots dialect in the preface, fearing it would alienate too many readers, but for this English reader the Scots-flavoured dialogue was one of the strongest elements to the book, accessible, but energetic, rich and deep. Here’s Old Maggie’s curse to illustrate:

"I curse their heid an’ all the hairs upon their heid; I curse their face, their eyes, their nose, their tongue, their teeth, their neck, their shoulders, their heart, their stomach, their arms, their legs, an’ every part o’ their body, from the top o’ their heid tae the soles o’ their feet, afore an’ behind, within an’ withoot.

"I condemn them tae the the deep pit o’ Hell, tae remain wi’ Lucifer an’ all his fellows, an’ their bodies to the gallows, first tae be hangit, then takken down an’ left tae rot wi’ dogs, an’ swine, an’ other foul beasts, abominable tae all the world. An’ may their light go from oor sight, as their souls go from the eyes o’ God, an’ only in three thousand year will they rise from this terrible cursing, an’ mak satisfaction an’ penance. An’ so I curse their souls.

"I don’t know about you, but it made my hair stand on end.

"Clear-eyed, carefully structured and capable of analysis, yet vivid, energetic and motivational, I loved The Highwayman’s Curse just as much as I loved Morgan’s first book about Will and Bess. It’s everything you could ask for in an historical novel and it comes highly recommended by Bookbag."

And Waterstone’s love it too (PHEW!) She Chambers from the Harrods branch says,

"The sequel to the Highwayman’s Footsteps and is as well written and gritty as that volume. Superb, atmospheric and glorious. Buy both and have a ball - absolutely WONDERFUL. Enjoy this adventure. I hope and trust there will be a third."

First review from a teenage reader, Ailsa from Edinburgh:

"Will and Bess are now up in Scotland, in this exciting new sequel to the Highwayman’s Footsteps. When they are blamed for a murder they did not commit, they unwillingly begin lives as smugglers, with a family trapped in a cycle of poverty. They are caught in the family’s old hatreds, some of which go back for decades in a never-ending spiral. When the youngest girl in the family leaves and runs away with the son of the most hated men in southern Scotland, Will and Bess find themselves in a race to save the many lives at stake, while Will is desperate to escape from their new lives. This book has a surprise round every corner and is full of action, revenge and never-forgotten enemies."

Thanks, Ailsa, and well done for being the first teenage reviewer!

By Gemma, 12, Invergordon, Scotland

"...an extremely exciting adventure and really well written. Bess is very inspiring, as she is so strong. The book is addictive and had me reading for hours!"

And by Laura, 12, from Invergordon:

"What I liked in the book was the suspense that I felt wondering what would happen next. Usually my expectations were wrong. I enjoyed these twists in the book as each page left me nearly ripping the pages in excitement to read the next pages. The book would be a very deserving winner of an award."

 

And by Sean, 12, from Edinburgh  -  who is the winner of a competition I offered to selected schools. His review gives a great overview of the whole book, without giving away the story, but encapsulating the atmosphere. Here’s a shortened version:

 

"... a thrilling novel that sends chills down your spine. With some fantastic, detailed description of the Scottish highlands and a wonderfully creative set of new characters, The Highwayman’s curse is something you will read and read and read again. ..... keeps you on the edge of your seat as you wonder what horrors lie ahead for Will and Bess. A truly brilliant book  -  a great read for most ages."

 

Tim, 13, from Edinburgh, was a fan of The Highwayman’s Footsteps but not so keen on the sequel:

"The Highwayman’s Curse starts well, plunging right into the plot. This is very effective, but it is hard to keep up with the numerous characters. There are regular shots of excitement throughout the book. The last section is so full of surprises that I am stunned that it can all fit in."

Here is Lucy from Edinburgh’s comment:

".... very exciting ... always had something new to say with every chapter. The lives of Will and Bess are completely changed when they go to Scotland and I think the author shows this very well."

An Edinburgh librarian loved it too. Diana called it a "rip-roaring adventure" and liked the way Will and Bess become more rounded and interesting. "Fact and fiction are woven togther with consummate skill which keeps the reader guessing about the welfare of the two protagonists, as well as they mysterious secrets of the family who capture them."

Megan, 13, from Hertford, said:

" ... EVEN faster and more exciting than the Highwayman’s Footsteps, if you can believe that! The scenes in the caves and with the water were really scary and you feel you were there, desperate for Will and Bess to succeed and to overcome all the terrifying things that happen!"

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Q: What’s it about?
A: Will and Bess, our young heroes  -  or criminal highwaymen, however you view them  -  are on the run and find themselves in Galloway, Scotland, falsely accused of murder. Captured by smugglers, they become embroiled in a story of hatred and revenge that goes back generations  -  to the days of the Killing Times, when men, women and children were killed in the name of religion. As Will and Bess become entangled in the dangerous lives of this embittered family, both have choices to make which will test to the limit their courage. They must face the horrors of the terrifying smugglers’ caves, and everything they believe will be challenged. They may try to break the cycle of religious hatred that curses the land, but will their friendship survive?

Q: Any themes you can tell us about, in case our teacher asks?
A: It’s a story of hatred and anger going down the generations. There are many places in the world where hatred between religions causes tension, death and revenge. The only way to stop it is for someone to say, "Enough." Either side could do it, but no one is ever brave enough. They’re brave enough to kill and torture but not brave enough to forgive and be forgiven.

In The Highwayman’s Curse, there’s a bitter old woman with a terrible scar on her face  -  she was branded by a soldier as a small girl; the soldier had done this to force her mother to swear loyalty to the King and not God. But her mother would not, and so she was drowned and her daughter was branded as she watched. This memory has stayed with the old woman and she is full of hatred for the Epsicopalians who had been responsible. But that is many years before, and the Killing Times are over. Should she not move on, forgive, put it behind her?

Q: Is it based on any true stories?
A: Yes, you know me! The Killing Times, the Covenanters and the Wigtown Martyrs. Research them  -  it’s cruel and terrifying stuff.


WARNING: don’t let your great-aunt Gladys read this book  -  the scenes in the caves will be bad for her heart.

ANOTHER WARNING: there’s a very nasty incident with a snake, too ...

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